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With war in the Middle East casting a shadow over the celebrations of the most important date on the Christian calendar, Pope Leo XIV used his first Easter address as pontiff to renew pleas for peace and dialogue, and to condemn violence.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn this day of celebration, let us abandon every desire for conflict, domination and power, and implore the Lord to grant his peace to a world ravaged by wars and marked by a hatred and indifference that make us feel powerless in the face of evil,\u201d Leo said on Sunday to tens of thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter\u2019s Square.<\/p>\n
The first U.S.-born pontiff has been increasingly outspoken<\/a> on the issues of war and peace in recent weeks during the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran. His Easter message came amid new Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon and President Trump\u2019s threatening to rain down \u201chell\u201d<\/a> on Iran.<\/p>\n Under a sunny sky in Vatican City, thousands celebrated Easter Mass and listened to the traditional \u201cUrbi et Orbi,\u201d<\/a> or \u201cTo the City and the World,\u201d message, a compendium of the Vatican\u2019s global concerns and the pope\u2019s priorities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cLet those who have weapons lay them down. Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace,\u201d Leo said in the message. \u201cNot a peace imposed by force, but through dialogue. Not with the desire to dominate others, but to encounter them.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Cheers and applause rose from the crowd, and thousands of cellphones shot up simultaneously when Leo appeared on the balcony of St. Peter\u2019s Basilica, where he first stood last May<\/a> after he was elected pope.<\/p>\n His predecessor, Pope Francis, had died a few weeks earlier, the day after Easter. One of Francis\u2019 last acts had been to preside over Easter Mass<\/a> in St. Peter\u2019s Square, ignoring his doctors\u2019 orders to slow down<\/a> less than a month after he had been discharged from a lengthy hospital stay.<\/p>\n In his own message, Leo borrowed an expression from Pope Francis, citing the increasing \u201cglobalization of indifference.\u201d Leo made that plea his own, saying, \u201cWe are growing accustomed to violence, resigning ourselves to it, and becoming indifferent.\u201d Leo, who tends to avoid direct criticism of nations or leaders, did not name specific conflicts. The Urbi et Orbi messages that popes deliver twice a year, at Christmas<\/a> and at Easter, often include calls for peace, singling out active global conflicts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The Rev. Gonzalo de la Morena, a Spanish priest who was among those in St. Peter\u2019s Square on Sunday, said he had been touched by the pope\u2019s words. \u201cHe made me reflect, also at a personal and social level, that peace and love require sacrifices, but they are worth it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n After 12 years of Francis\u2019 outspoken papacy, Leo has until now opted for a more deliberate public stance<\/a>. The war in Iran has led him to be more forthright, particularly after Pete Hegseth, the U.S. defense secretary, asked Americans to pray<\/a> \u201cevery day, on bended knee\u201d for a military victory in the Middle East \u201cin the name of Jesus Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n Pope Leo has not referred specifically to Mr. Hesgeth, but during his Palm Sunday homily a week ago, Leo said that God rejects the prayers of \u201cthose who wage war,\u201d and that their \u201chands are full of blood.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n